


Malice Through the Looking Glass

by simulacraryn



Series: Pages of an Unwritten Book [2]
Category: Gundam Wing
Genre: Expanded Universe Fic, Gen, Gundam Wing AU, Past Love, Secret Ambitions Universe, recruiting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-05
Updated: 2016-01-09
Packaged: 2018-05-11 22:49:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,264
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5644678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/simulacraryn/pseuds/simulacraryn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Trowa went off the grid after AC 197, no body had been able to track the man with no name. It was a task nobody wanted, but when Preventer Commander Marlene "Lady" Une says she wants a man for the job, she will not stop until she gets who she wants. Thus, she sent her best man to track down a needle in a haystack, Heero Yuy. Now Heero has caught up with Trowa and he comes with an offer that the nameless man shouldn't refuse.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. "Careless"

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ClaraxBarton](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ClaraxBarton/gifts).



> This story is actually one of many potential prequels to my 'Secret Ambitions'/'CAM Darlian' tumblogs. The stories and backgrounds can be found 'http://gwsecretambitions.tumblr.com/ESUN' and 'http://gwsecretambitions.tumblr.com/The%20Others' - I am choosing to tell it here on AO3, since it's going to be more than just a simple blurb.
> 
>  **Disclaimer:** Gundam Wing belongs to Sunrise and this is a fandriven work, of which I make no profit. This is a labor of love and passion for a 20 yr old fandom. The only thing I own is the original idea of the SA universe.
> 
> The title for this fic is taken from the song of the same name, by Cradle of Filth.
> 
> This is also a belated birthday gift to Miss Clara Barton, I hope you like it!

**Malice Through the Looking Glass**

_Take away the wine, for restlessness plagues me...._

Trowa Barton looked at the abandoned, war stricken house he'd chosen as a home in the Iberian Pennisula to reside in whilst he hid. Life after war hadn't settled easily for him and he could not, for the life of him, accept that he needed help. Help to transition to a normal life, but what is normal when all you ever knew was the battlefield. Scrapping to survive and barely making ends meet every time. His clothes were a tattered mess, facial hair growing into a scrabbly beard that looked hideous, but this was how Trowa wanted to live. Off the grid, away from Quatre's nagging about how he could go on, get an education...

Except, _where in the fuck_ could you get one of those when you're an L3 ex-pat, with no actual record of your life? Okay, so he had a sister, but to the world, Triton Bloom died in that accident. He was a dead man, no matter where he stood. Triton was dead. Trowa? He killed him too. The stealth expert was drawing a blank at this point, but he knew that he couldn't keep stealing to eat, not anymore.

But what could he do? Battles were long fought, and won. There was no place in this world for a soldier.

Lost in his train of hunger addled thoughts, Trowa completely lost track of time, and of his surroundings. In his heat induced delirium, Trowa could sometimes actually fantasize of a time long ago, when he'd been what? Eleven? Maybe twelve? He'd forgotten exactly _how old_ , but he remembered _her_ , with her chest riddened cross and her messy blonde hair. The dirt on her face, but the sly smile, hidden under the tones of shyness. The food she cooked, the information she sold.

The love she claimed for him, but that was also a lie, one of many.

Maybe her death was a lie too, Trowa thought bitterly. Middie had been a friend, a traitor, a lie and honestly, he didn't know why he thought of her. Probably because Middie's (false) good nature reminded him of Quatre. Except with Winner, there was a genuine sense of good, which also makes Trowa laugh in his ramshackle circumstances. Quatre actively tried to kill him, after blowing up a fucking colony.

“You know, that beard looks hideous on you.”

Trowa snapped, scanning his house – was it even his?

His eyes finally found the source of the familiar voice, messy brown hair – cropped on the sides and swept into a pompadour that represented the man's “classy nature” according to another old time friend. Cobalt eyes staring down, studying the mess that became Trowa. No Name could not believe how much a few years changed Heero Yuy. Long gone were the spandex short and the hideous green tank. These days, he wore jeans, his appointed side arms and a preventer's jacket, kevlar probably under it. Oh, Trowa could tell the kevlar was certainly on there, so he didn't dare reach for a gun. Especially not against Heero, who just let himself into Trowa's shithole of a house, scrutiny filling his facial features.

“How did you find me?” Trowa snapped, a pang of hunger annoying the living hell out of him more than Heero could. “You were careless.” Heero deadpans, making himself at home by leaning against a wall.

“I'm not going to mince words with you, Barton,” Heero continued, disregarding Trowa's movements for the couch or the offer to get comfortable in the pigsty his old comrade chose to live in. “Lady Une's been looking for you. My job is to bring you to Brussels, to her. I don't know what she needs, all I know is, you look like shit and I'm not taking you to her like this. So grab whatever is valuable to you and lets go.”

That was more he had ever heard out of Yuy's mouth in the time they'd known each other. But when he looked a Heero, he could see the fact that the hardened soldier didn't move with the same ease that he did five years ago. He moved slower, tired, as if all the risky maneuvers they did had caught up with him. Trowa chortled, looking around his meager possessions. Nothing of value here, he never truly had anything to call his own. Anything of importance was with Cathy, as she insisted that her home would be his no matter what.

“I'm hungry.” Trowa voiced, not really caring what Heero thought of him. It's then that he spots Heero's hand, holding a small brown bag. “I hope you can still stomach MRE's, it was all I could find in this barren town. We'll stop somewhere, get you looking human. Doc Po is gonna love you today,” Sarcasm dripped from Heero's voice.

Sarcasm? Christ, what have three years done to the man...

“MRE's sound better than insects.”

He had lived off insects, but it hadn't been the first time. He recalls, how Middie used to grab crickets and make a soup out of them, anything they could get their hands on, they cooked. Sometimes, she'd grab snails and boil them. If it passed as food, Trowa would eat it. Half the time, he got sick from it, but he lied. He told her it was fine. Now, he lied again, to Heero. - “Anything is. Try to stomach it, we'll be in Marbella in a few hours.” 

Leave it to Yuy to commandeer the place. Tearing into the block of MRE's takes effort with his shaky hands, but Trowa barely manages. Eating like a condemned man with his last meal, almost feral in nature as Heero watched, expressionless. There is silence, suitable between them both – men who traveled the roads long ago and men who continued to travel the way of battles. Trowa scarfed down the food, his hand outstretched and he remembers there isn't any actual potable water in the abandoned shithole…

Heero understood the sign and produced a bottle from his knapsack, uncapping it for Trowa's ease. He studied the man, worried about how Catherine and Une would react upon seeing the wreckage before him. He had an idea on how Cathy would _overreact_ as soon as she saw Trowa. He had to get him to Sally, rapidly.

When everything got loaded in the car, Heero helped Trowa unto the back seat. Handing him a pillow and a blanket, Heero didn't say much. Instead, he climbed unto the drivers side. Trowa didn't ask, instead he got comfortable. The closest he had to an actual bed in a very long time and he would at least enjoy it. So when he closed his eyes, that was the last of it.

Heero drove on for a few hours, until he pulled up to a stop. It was the nearest station close to the border and pulled over. Heero got out of the car, stretched his body and pulled a portable vid comm from his jeans, flicking around it to find Sally's comm link extension. He presses for the vid call, and instead of Doc Po answering the call, he gets Lady Une. Her hair looks frazzled, her eyes tired and Heero surveys the woman's tired expression.

“I'd ask where the Doc is, but I can safely assume she's busy with Marie judging by the look on your face.”

Marlene's throaty chuckle got a rise out of Heero. She was still a 'body without it's soul', but she was a woman with purpose ever since Mariemeia fell into her life. “Sally is indeed, attending to Marie. She took a nasty spill on a patch of ice and broke her arm on the steps.”

“Hope she gets better,” He offers his regards, the kindest thing Marlene had seen him do. But Heero was close to Mariemeia. He'd grown fond of the child and spent time teaching her skills he thought she would need in the future. - “I'll let her know. How is he, Heero?”

“Honest opinion? Like shit. Doc's gonna have her work cut for her.”

“Nothing beats your medical records,” He hears Sally shout behind Marlene, moving rapidly towards something else. “Yeah, he might not beat them, but he's severely malnourished, Doc. He's looking like he's been living like he's still a merc. Do you honestly think, Commander, that he's fit for the job?”

Une's determination shone and Heero could just feel it in his bones.

“I believe, that once we restore him, Trowa Barton will be the only man for the job. You need eyes and ears in places, Yuy. Who better than a man that can blend in, seamlessly, with his surroundings. He was only found, because he wanted you to find him. Now,” Marlene pauses, pushing hair away from her eyes: “Bring him in. And for gods sake, make sure he eats something besides those damned MRE's your think are actual food.” “Understood.” He ends communication, glancing absently at Trowa. It was still a long drive to where they were destined and he just hoped, Trowa would make it without shutting down entirely on Heero.


	2. "Playing Ground"

**Malice Through the Looking Glass**

_Steal me from their stares and mute christ into night_

Catherine Bloom sat at the edge of her seat in the Preventer Issued apartment, her surroundings were as on edge as she was. Albeit, they had all been for different reasons. When Trowa called her to check in as he promised he would, she'd seen her brother looking absolutely horrible and had thought about calling his former comrades to see if they could help. What she hadn't known was that his comrades, or at least, Lady Une had been already on the trail of trying to find Trowa for something or another. The young teacher didn't truly care about what they needed him for this time, so long as they could fix whatever happened to him. She paced, the last she had heard from Lady Une had been that Heero had arrived with Trowa to the Marbella base and that medical had taken her brother.

That had been a week ago.

“Miss Bloom, you have a visitor.” The computerized system addressed her and Catherine reached, pressing the button to allow what she knew was likely Lady Une, through the door. So she stood, out of respect for the Preventer Commander – smoothing out her dress. When the door opens, Catherine's head snaps up and instead of seeing the ever stern Une, she is faced with someone she hadn't seen in a few years. She remembered him from the Eve Wars, she remembered having to patch him up and his speedy recovery, the almost inhuman way that he had moved. 

Seeing the man she'd known as Heero made Catherine's heart pause in her chest. At such a young age, the head of PCSD walked with the aid of a cane, his face hardened and scarred from a war none of them should have fought. She thinks of how this could have been Trowa and her breath hitches. “Hello...” She greets nervously as Heero takes a long stride across the room, finding a seat in order to rest his tired body. He drove all sorts of hours to make sure Trowa made it here and all she could say...

“Is he?” She fumbles her communication and Heero looks up from where he sat down, wordlessly motioning Catherine to take a seat. He could feel her nervousness was what led her to botch the simples thing. “He is still asleep, Sally refuses to bring him out until he gets a sufficient amount of nutrients back into his body. According to her and the Doctors at the hospital, we were lucky. Extreme dehydration was settling in when I got to him.” - He is upfront, the only way he could ever be when it came to Trowa. In his eyes, he and the green eyed man were now even, a life for a life.

“Thank you...for being honest. Nobody's been wanting to offer much,” Catherine spoke, barely audibly, but Heero's sharp senses picked it up. 

“You should get some actual rest, Catherine. I'll contact you if there are any changes.” - He doesn't truly wait for a response, walking away to avoid any further dealings with his comrade's sister. Had it not been for Trowa communicating openly with her, they would have never found the man. In quite honesty, Heero thanked Catherine for helping him find his intended target. Walking past a few others, Heero made his way to one of the secure check points, the Head of Central Systems swiped his ID and made it past the first door. There's silence as he walks, people diligently working away, while Heero analyzes the situation. Trying to comprehend where Trowa's head was at.

Finally reaching the hospital side of the complex, Heero scans again, effectively checking in with the nurses station. He doesn't go for Trowa's room, but rather for the woman stationed outside. A single look at Lady Une gave away that the woman had flown on little to no sleep. He and Trowa should have been to Brussels, but given his delicate condition, Sally advised against travel. 

“Is the sister here?” - Une isn't one to pull her punches, straight to the point. He had always admired the woman for her abrupt, sharp wit. Her balanced personality and acerbic humor went a tune with Heero's own, which made for interesting banter when neither of them was on duty. - “She is, worried sick if you ask me. Barton truly put her through the wringer with this stunt.”

He noticed Une's peculiar look, the strange shift between the fierce commander that undertook the world's sole task force under her eyes and the woman, the feeling creature that suffered alone. Heero wanted to say more, but kept quiet, realizing this was neither time or place to call his superior officer out. - “Yuy, you may be right. Maybe we shouldn't trouble him, if he's in this condi-”

“Commander,”- Heero's tone drops to a murmur - “I don't believe Trowa should be left to his own devices.”

This piqued her interest and Heero knew he had her sealed then. He could spin this yarn in any way and it would get the desired outcome. - “You did mention you wanted him for my unit, correct?” At her nod, Heero was on his thought frame, calculating. He would get Trowa on his team and he would ensure that the man would get back on his feet. It would make them even, a life for a life, right? - “I'll take him into my unit, _but_ , I don't want him until next year. I want him to get cleared by Behavioral before you even put him through BPT [1], _and_ ” - He paused, thankful that he had garnered enough playing ground in Preventers to play hardball against Une. - “He reports to **me** directly, Commander.”

The way Une's mouth tensed was enough of a tell-tale sign that he would get exactly as he wanted. Une had no reason to deny him the request, right? Heero waits, until Une pinches the bridge of her nose. “I will put in an order to Sally that once Barton is physically cleared from this visit, that he is to report to Behavioral. Do you want him in Marbella with you, or would you rather he come to Brussels?”

“Let's leave the choice to him.”

Heero brushes past Une, his fist rapping against the closed door. Trowa's hoarse voice giving him the go ahead to get in the room was enough for Heero to swing the door open. Une knows better than to follow him, as Heero slammed the door and locked it behind his wake. Trowa studied his former comrade, watching as he strode in the room with an air of confidence. Pulling a plastic chair from one side, Heero swings it around and sits down, glancing at Trowa. There's a moment of silence, as the green eyed man quirks an eyebrow.

“How are you fee-”

“Heero, I think we can skip the pleasantries.” - Trowa waves it off, - “I feel like I've had Doc Po drill me in every way imaginable.”

“Without fluids, she couldn't get a damn vein to take an IV. They had to so a pick-line to get a damn thing in and even that had to be done _twice_ since you were that dehydrated. So I'm guessing you feel like shit, put in a brown sack and lit on fire in front of Duo's doorstep.” - The man formerly known as 'The Perfect Soldier' opted for the colorful description, causing a slight chuckle from Trowa.

“So you already know the basics, good. Now get to the damn point, Yuy.”

Trowa took the remote to his hands, adjusting the bed so that he could sit upright. There was no way they were being nice for the sake of it, they wanted something and he knew his answer already. Well, no, he didn't. Trowa wanted to know what they wanted first, before he signed himself to it. He had pretended to sleep through Marlene's visit and dreaded his sister's visit. Thankful for the small mercy granted unto him by Sally, Trowa glanced outside and then back at Heero.

“Marlene wants you to join,”

“Marlene wants a lot of shit,” - There's mild resentment in Trowa's voice, enough to perk Heero's attention. - “Doesn't mean Marlene gets what she wants.”

“She doesn't want you in Brussels. She wants you for my team. You see, I can't work as a field op anymore,” Heero felt strangely vulnerable when saying those words. - “My department handles all the networking, the shit nobody really likes to dredge through, you know how it goes.”

“Paperwork, Computers, Stealth – The bread and butter for men like us.” Trowa answers the inexistent question. - “So where are you based from?”

“Marbella, Spain – it's my Winter Residence. During the summer, I tend to base out of Fukushima, or I go work out of L1. It depends on how my doctors feel about me traveling.” - There's a tinge of bitterness in that statement. - “But before I even have you sign on to begin training, I have some conditions, Barton.”

Trowa felt as if he were under a microscope, scrutinized as Heero paced himself. - “What are they?”- A side of Trowa dreaded whatever could come from Heero.

“You will begin treatment with Behavioral Health and once they determine you're cleared for duty, we'll put you through the Basics.” Heero paused, allowing Trowa to soak the information. Back when Trowa had infiltrated OZ he'd been able to pass the Space Force reqs, but then again, he had gone in after their standards had gone to shit. It wasn't like when it was required to go through the basic exams, then the Lake Victoria exams and then the specials entry course. Preventers, he realized, was structured alike with OZ, just far more organized. “After BPT, you'll be put through to select your two specialties. We've already pre-cleared you on S &I [2], as well as FSC [3], so you'll need two new ones to compliment that. Plus the weapons exam, but I'm sure you can still pass that one.”

Trowa felt something ignite. This was his new found purpose, to work for the greater good? He could give it a try, right?

“Where do I sign?”

“Une's equerry will bring everything by when I call this in.”

There was a spark, determination in Trowa's once dulled eyes. This was what he needed, at least it is what he felt was right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] Basic Preventer Training, it's a basic entry level training to even join the Preventers.  
> [2] Stealth and Infiltration - It is Trowa after all ;)  
> [3] Flight Simulation Chamber - Clearance to pilot aircraft, something the Gundam Pilots and a handful of Original Preventers are already cleared on.
> 
> \---
> 
> Took me a bit to congeal this chapter, but expect more from the Secret Ambitions universe. I do have some other writing projects in the works, and I will probably heavily active on this account. :)


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